Published on: 10 May 2018
Last Updated on: 09 August 2019
Unemployment is something that most people try to avoid. To facilitate these people have tended to avoid industries that appear to be, at best, uncertain.
The result has become a lack of skilled workers. This is becoming obvious in certain industries, such as manufacturing. Because this has been a volatile industry young people have not been interested in learning the skills. However, the older workers are now retiring and a huge gap in the skill set is starting to become exposed.
This means that skilled workers will be able to dictate their own terms as the need for them will be much greater than the number of them available. This may cause some businesses to struggle which is why it is essential they take steps today to rectify the issue.
There are several other reasons why skilled workers will own the future:
Lack Of Retention :
For many years firms have been taking on employees with little experience and training them while offering a low wage. This has helped the companies to be competitive and profitable.
However, once the employees are fully trained they are likely to move on to another firm where their pay package is greater.
In fact, there has been a large number of skilled workers who have taken their skill set out of the country altogether. This simply shrinks the pool of available talent making it very difficult for a company to get the right skilled staff.
The consequence is that the employment market moves to favor the employee as opposed to the firm.
Training :
While some firms are happy to take on inexperienced workers and train them, this is not true of all firms. Add to this the flexibility of the market which ensures that many are not completing their training.
The result is a lack of investment in developing skilled workers and an ever-increasing gap in the workforce. This is a gap that cannot easily be filled!
Flexibility :
More and more firms are relying on specialist contractors to handle specific jobs. This is in a bid to drive costs down and be more efficient.
However, as fewer people training in skilled trades, it will become harder to locate someone when you need them. The result could be an interruption to your business when you really don’t need one.
The only solution will be to use a skilled tradesperson; regardless of the cost.
This is the real crux of the matter. The lack of skilled workers means that they will be able to charge what they wish for their services. But, this is certain to have a knock-on effect on other companies and their profitability.
The ones who survive will be those that start to prepare today; training and encouraging more young people into skilled careers is the only way to resolve this issue in the long term.
Content Rally wrapped around an online publication where you can publish your own intellectuals. It is a publishing platform designed to make great stories by content creators. This is your era, your place to be online. So come forward share your views, thoughts and ideas via Content Rally.
A career development plan is essential to create specific and measurable goals for your career.
However, creating a career roadmap can take time for a beginner and requires significant work. Even so, by creating one, you can better understand where you want to take your career forward.
In this article, you will learn about career development plans in general and how to create one. Apart from that, this article will also explain the benefits of creating such a plan.
Finally, you will learn how to create such a plan according to the demands of your career outcomes. Hence, to learn more, read on to the end of the article.
Career Development Plan: A General Overview
If you are reading this article, it is evident that you have certain career aspirations. Perhaps you want to rise the corporate ladder, or you are looking for ways to change industries. On the other hand, you might want to work for a business giant.
No matter what your career target is, a career development plan will give you a roadmap on which to focus. Basically, it is a document that consists of a description of your goals and your pathway. For instance, it includes descriptions of how to achieve a particular skill, prepare for a job, reach out to a recruiter on LinkedIn, etc.
How Does A Career Development Plan Work?
Generally, career development plans vary depending on your chosen career and what you need to go forward with. However, there are some things common in every plan. These include summary statements, short-term goals, long-term goals, current skills, developing skills, conceptual skills, resources, etc.
Here is a general outline of a career development plan:
Starting Point Your current point in your career. Destination The point up to which you want to go in your career. Gap Hurdles/Obstacles you must overcome to reach your Career Destination. Route Steps to take if you want to close the gap between your Starting Point and Destination.
Basically, it would help if you had a personalized plan for yourself. This will help you identify specific goals for your career that you can achieve. Then, you need to design and implement the right strategies to achieve your career goals.
Benefits Of Having A Career Development Plan
The following are the major advantages of a career development plan you will benefit from:
A. Getting A Future Roadmap
Once you start creating your plan, you will have your end goals in mind. Hence, you will end up finding out how to achieve your goals. However, you will make random career decisions if you do not have a plan. This will take you further from your career goal.
B. Skill Gap Identification
You must definitely have some strengths that will help you in your career. However, it would help if you had some weaknesses as well. In this case, with the help of a career development plan, you can turn them into opportunities.
Basically, the plan will help you to fill gaps in your career. Thereby, you can become a strong employee for your organization and gain new skills.
For instance, if you are strong in coding, you can start developing your oral communication networking skills. For example, being good at soft skills can help you in interview prep.
C. Motivation
If you are happy with your plan, you can motivate yourself daily to push towards your goals and work harder. On the other hand, if you lack such a plan, you will not have a plan to focus on, and you can easily give up in no time. Here, you must understand that motivation is key no matter what type of goals you have.
Steps To Create A Career Development Plan
When you are about to create a career development plan, you are the one who is in complete control. Hence, you can choose how you want to proceed with the plan. Since you are using the plan per your unique needs, you must decide what you want to include or remove.
The following are the steps you must follow if you want to create your career development plan effectively:
1. Have A Good Idea Of Your Current Situation
Firstly, you must determine where you stand in your career at the current moment. Hence, it would help if you determine answers to these aspects:
Previous experiences (employment and learning)
What do you enjoy?
Your likes and dislikes.
What is your life’s calling or aim?
Do you like to work independently or in a group?
Things that motivate or excite you the most.
In this case, you must consider your current situation or employment position. Then, you must compare it with your past experiences, education, strengths, skills, desires, and values. As a result, this will serve as the basis of your future career potential.
2. What Are Your Goals?
The next step to consider when you are creating your career development plan is what your career goal is. Basically, it is what you want to accomplish with the plan. This will give you a sense of purpose and direction.
Additionally, when you break down your goals into smaller objectives, it will be easier for you to accomplish them. Moreover, ensure your goals follow the SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely) framework.
Furthermore, it would help if you also break down your goals into long-term and short-term goals. Here, long-term goals are the ones that you will achieve in the next five to ten years. On the other hand, short-term goals are the ones that you can achieve in one or two years or a few months.
3. Determine Your Current Skills
You know what skills you have or what you are good at. Hence, once you determine your current skills, you can find out what skills you lack but are important if you want to achieve your goals.
How do you find out which skills to develop? - Read job postings that you want to achieve and those that are dependent on your current position. Here, you can find out the skills that those job positions need. This way, you can develop your skills and prepare for those positions.
For example, say you are a marketing manager and good at search engine optimization. However, you know that you have to be strong in content marketing. Hence, you can look for skills a content marketer needs to develop. Thereby, you can learn those skills accordingly to make a career leap.
4. Gather Your Resources
You can take advantage of many resources if you want to achieve your career goals. Understand that you do not need to meet your career goals alone.
For instance, you can start by determining whether your current employer offers a career development program. Moreover, you can explore various opportunities to meet mentors from your field. For instance, many companies/organizations offer mentorship programs for their employees.
Apart from that, you can also consider participating in career development classes or workshops. In such cases, you must not be afraid to ask questions since you learn from other experts.
5. Start Working
No matter how many plans you make, you must be willing to put in the work to make progress toward your goals. On the other hand, consider involving your supervisors and managers in checking in with them daily. Here, you can ask them to share their perspectives as well.
Hence, as you start working towards your goals, seek guidance. Moreover, do not shy away from trying something new along the way.
6. Track Your Progress
Working on your career goals and focusing on professional development are difficult. Hence, you need to keep track of your milestones. Once you keep track of your milestones, you can achieve them one by one.
Furthermore, celebrate once you achieve a milestone. This will motivate you from time to time and keep you going. You do not need to go too hard on yourself. Understand that you can develop your career and have fun simultaneously.
7. Revisit Your Plan
Refrain from expecting your plan to be foolproof. Hence, you must make your plan flexible enough to adapt to new situations. For instance, as your circumstances change, your goals might evolve. Hence, in such situations, you must modify your career plan. Additionally, review your plan every four months and revise it as needed.
Creating Your Plan: The Way Forward
When you create your career development plan, it will be unique to you. However, no one can deny that some career goals are difficult to meet. Hence, you must stay disciplined and persistent no matter how good your plan is.
The best way to achieve such goals is to break down the goals into smaller objectives. Once you accomplish each objective, try to reward yourself. This will keep you excited in the long run.
Do you have more suggestions on creating a plan for a successful career? Please share your ideas and opinions in the comments section below.
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Well, are you planning to become a blockchain developer? In this case, you must be passionate about cryptography, coding, and Blockchain technology. This means you might be curious to combine such interests and wonder how to become a blockchain developer.
Above all, blockchain technology is about reshaping how we interact, exchange, and transact information online. With such immense potential, a wide range of industries are transforming.
After a long research, I have developed some factors for becoming a blockchain developer. A blockchain developer is mainly like a data scientist. In this case, you would get an overview of becoming a blockchain developer. Of course, this includes essential skills, several training options, education, and multiple career opportunities.
Skills and Qualifications
Blockchain technology has been gaining popularity over the last few years. Not only that, but the blockchain developer industry needs candidates who can design well and know how to develop and maintain the significance and usage of multiple blockchain-based apps. Below, I will discuss the skills and qualifications of a blockchain developer in 2024.
1) Programming languages
One of the most significant skills you need as a blockchain developer is knowing about programming languages. Ensure that, as a blockchain developer, you have an in-depth understanding of several programming languages.
Some of the commonly used in the Blockchain development industry are Python, JavaScript, and Go. Above all, these programming languages can help you to create effective and efficient blockchain applications. So that you, as a blockchain developer, can handle a large set of data and transactions.
2) Cryptography and Security
Blockchain is such an important built on the foundation of cryptography. As a blockchain developer, you must understand the science of encrypting and decrypting data. Furthermore, as a blockchain developer, you must know and understand several other cryptographic protocols.
Additionally, security is a significant and crucial aspect of blockchain development. This is an essential part of being aware of blockchain security best practices, and you can have an in-depth understanding of how to incorporate access controls and other security measures to build securely and safely.
3) Smart Contracts and Decentralized Applications
Smart Contracts are self-executing computer programs that would automate contract terms between parties. Above all, multiple smart contracts are such a critical component, especially of several blockchain-based applications.
In this case, they help automate the procedures like artificial intelligence architect, ensuring the transactions are complete. These are mainly conducted in a decentralized, translucent, and secure manner.
DApps are applications that run on the Blockchain. Above all, these are not controlled by any central authority. To be a blockchain developer, you must be skilled at developing, designing, and testing such intelligent contracts. After all, DApps are secure, user-friendly, and reliable.
Qualifications:
1) Blockchain developer boot camps
If you want a more immersive and intensive learning experience, do a blockchain developer boot camp. Virtual boot camps are such a significant and excellent starting point that you would get hands-on building experience. After all, professional engineers are also required to provide essential guidance.
2) Online courses and Tutorials
There are numerous online courses and other tutorials that can help you get started. This would apply to your path and help you become a blockchain developer.
Websites like Udemy, Coursera, and Code Academy recently offered several courses on Blockchain technology. These courses range from free introductory courses to more advanced courses on blockchain technology.
3) University Programs and Certifications
Several universities offer Blockchain-related programs and other certifications. In this case, these programs range from undergraduate and graduate degrees, especially in engineering and computer science. Some universities provide blockchain courses and programs, such as Yale University, UC Berkeley, NTU Singapore, etc.
Responsibilities
To become a blockchain developer, leverage their cryptography, programming, and other distributed systems expertise. Below, I will discuss several of the responsibilities of a blockchain developer.
Being a blockchain developer, you must know how to design and incorporate intelligent contracts. You not only need self-contracts, but you also must know about self-executing contracts with other predefined rules that are encoded on the Blockchain.
Blockchain developers contribute to the development of Blockchain protocols. On the other hand, being a blockchain developer, you must understand such rules and other consensus mechanisms that govern blockchain networks.
Another significant responsibility of a blockchain developer is to build decentralized applications. This would run on multiple blockchain networks. These dApps span various domains, including finance, supply chain management, and many others.
Recently, Blockchain developers have conducted security audits, which help you identify several other vulnerabilities. Furthermore, this would also ensure the resilience and integrity of blockchain systems. They incorporate such best practices to secure coding, key management, and encryption to shield against cyber hacks and threats.
Tools and Technologies
It can be exciting and lucrative if you plan to pursue your career in the Blockchain industry. However, this is important for becoming a successful blockchain developer. Below, I will discuss the tools and technologies that blockchain developers use.
1) Solidity
Solidity is one of the most crucial and most used software a blockchain developer can use. This software tool was created to target the Ethereum Virtual Machine, and C++, JavaScript, and Python influenced this. Aside from that, Solidity supports the OOP paradigm, and cis is another crucial language, especially for creating such intelligent contracts. Blockchain developers can create such applications to perform the self-enforcing business logic to contain the smart contracts.
2) MetaMask
A Chrome Extension that could communicate with dApps is known as MetaMask. In this case, users can quickly receive and send such digital assets by using this open-source and decentralized wallet. Aside from that, this is simple to use and has many beneficial features, which MetaMask has recently surpassed all other dApps browsers.
3) Truffle
As a blockchain developer, Truffle is one of the most essential software if you are looking for an Ethereum programming environment, asset pipeline, and testing framework. Aside from that, this is a famous tool among other developers because it allows them to combine easily, interact, deploy, and so many others. Even more, this is one of the most prominent tools in the entire cryptocurrency world.
4) Remix IDE
Another well-known blockchain tool that a blockchain developer uses is Remix IDE. Moreover, this browser-focused blockchain development tool assists in creating and deploying several other smart contracts.
Challenges And Solutions
As we know, blockchain technology has evolved in recent years. That is why blockchain developers have faced multiple challenges and solutions. Below, I will discuss a blockchain developer's challenges and solutions.
1) Decentralization
One of the most significant reasons the blockchain industry uses blockchains is decentralization. In this case, the transactions are confirmed by a set of nodes somewhat of a single node. Once the transactions are reviewed, they can't be changed.
2) Scalability
After all, scalability depends on the potential to handle more transactions. As the demand continues to increase, all operating and defending systems from cyberattacks remain challenging.
3) Security
Security is a significant benefit and a challenge for blockchain development. In this case, people can see, the security technology of a blockchain would be the target for cybercriminals.
In Conclusion
I have discussed how to become a blockchain developer in 2024 above in this article. Recently, Blockchain development has been at the forefront of technology. After all, discovering the ways of becoming a blockchain developer can unlock such a crucial career path, offering several other opportunities for growth and invention.
I hope you find this article helpful. If you have queries, please comment below!
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C-suite leadership is a challenging position. The top executives are responsible for setting an organization's strategic direction and ensuring its long-term success.
The prestige of a top leader comes with high salaries and a seat at the table for major business decisions.
However, this prestige comes with unexpected stresses. This stress can impact personal and professional life if not managed properly.
A PwC 2018 CEO survey found that 83% of new CEOs get internal promotion to their role. However, those hired for CEO jobs from outside the company often receive more attention and support during their transition.
Therefore, companies often overlook the challenges associated with their ascension.
Similarly, despite the challenges, these individuals differ in character from those brought in from outside.
By addressing and overcoming these challenges, C-suite leaders can ensure the success of their organizations.
C-Suite Jobs: How To Overcome The Challenges?
Given below are some of the stressful challenges faced by most CEOs around the world and how you can overcome them—
1. Fighting Off The Imposter Syndrome
Making it to the C-suite is challenging. It comes with the constant pressure to perform and meet targets. Hence, it is stressful, especially during times of crisis or uncertainty.
Moreover, being accountable for your team's and the entire organization's actions can sit heavy on your shoulders.
Consequently, one common feeling in the C-suite is imposter syndrome. Here, an individual doubts their accomplishments and fears being accused of fraud. This can lead to feelings of not belonging or not qualified for the position.
The intense scrutiny of a high-profile position can make it challenging to take risks or try new approaches. This can stifle innovative leaders.
It often makes the individual feel like they are not just a team member anymore but are now in charge.
Therefore, you must focus on your accomplishments to address imposter syndrome or any form of self-doubt.
Remind yourself of your expertise, and seek support from a mentor or coach to cultivate self-compassion. Moreover, as a leader in an organization, you must let go of unrealistic expectations or perfectionism.
2. Dealing With The Lack Of Clarity
The upper management often tends to assume that everything is running smoothly. However, they only realize the issues when it is too late.
This happens due to a lack of visibility and clarity in the company's day-to-day operations.
The C-suite executives rely on information from department heads and middle managers. This can distort or filter reality, leading to an inaccurate view of reality or complex and unclear information.
Therefore, it can create significant problems that go unnoticed until too late.
To improve data-driven decision-making, organizations should visualize their business and its layers, maintain data reliability and integrity, and promote faster data-driven decision-making.
A data strategy tailored to the company's needs helps achieve data clarity. It ensures the integrity of the data used to inform key business decisions.
Finally, consolidating business data and promoting the sharing of insights across teams can help leaders ensure data clarity and the accuracy of their decisions.
3. Preventing Ego To Distort Clarity
In the business world, success can sometimes lead to complacency within the C-Suite, creating a false sense of security and impeding adaptation to changing market conditions or new technologies.
This can result in groupthink. Here, dissenting opinions get suppressed, stifling critical analysis. Thus, it makes the C-Suite blind to potential risks and challenges.
Organizations should embrace digital transformation and leverage disruption to ensure long-term success and competitiveness.
According to 83% of project managers, digital transformation has moderately or significantly impacted their work over the past five years.
Therefore, organizations should adopt an agile approach to project management. They must continuously evaluate shifting market dynamics, new technologies, and innovation to deliver against strategy.
4. Lacking Farsightedness
C-suite executives often prioritize short-term gains over long-term sustainability. This attitude can lead to decisions that harm the company in the long run.
Such decisions can result in insufficient investment in critical areas like research and development. However, these are essential for the business's long-term health.
Moreover, a CEO solely focused on short-term profits may refrain from investing in new technology. The ever-evolving technology can help companies remain competitive in the long run.
Therefore, such organizations prioritize investment in developing strategy over proper execution.
However, there appears to be a disconnect between executive leaders and project managers on strategy implementation funding.
This suggests organizations may not leverage the optimum focus and investment to deliver against strategy.
5. Fighting Loneliness And Isolation
The C-suite often faces unexpected stress due to the isolation it often brings.
Top leaders often make difficult decisions that impact many people's lives but with limited support or input from others.
This isolation can amplify feelings of loneliness and isolation, which can further exacerbate stress and anxiety.
Moreover, maintaining relationships outside of work can become challenging, and the pressure to always be "on" is exhausting.
Therefore, leaders should acknowledge their need for support, seek an executive coach, or join a mastermind group with diverse leaders to overcome this isolation.
Moreover, prioritizing finding a balance between work and personal life is crucial. You must let your team know they are human. This helps build trust and allows them to feel comfortable sharing with turn.
6. Accepting The Shift From A Peer To The Boss
When CEOs are promoted from within the company, they often find themselves leading colleagues who were once their peers or superiors.
This is a particularly tricky situation. Consequently, lingering tensions or resentments can complicate the new leader's job.
In addition, the CEO must quickly assess all direct reports and stakeholders, building their team and reenlisting people they want to keep through early conversations.
This process requires careful consideration and judgment, as the new leader must determine which team members are best suited for their roles and which may need to be replaced.
Through this process, new leaders can establish themselves as effective managers and confidently navigate the challenges of their new roles.
7. Organize Yourself For The New Role
It is common for CEOs who are promoted from within a company to face challenges when transitioning to their new roles.
On the other hand, externally hired CEOs tend to receive more support. However, providing equal opportunities for all CEOs to succeed is essential.
The board, senior management team, HR executives, and communications executives are vital in this process.
Therefore, a newly promoted CEO should understand their challenges and develop a plan to overcome them with organizational support to lead effectively.
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